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What joy the gospel gives me. I can approach the throne of God with confidence, not because I've done a good job at my spiritual duties, but because I'm clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. ~ C.J. Mahaney

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ~1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Quoting them and doing them are two different matters. If you're at all like me, you can use a constant reminder to be patient and kind. Sometimes I just need to see it in writing. Or in this case, stitched right onto fabric!

If you'd like this little piece of stitchery let me know. I'll draw for this give-away tomorrow.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I better get stitchin' on a little give-away. I started this on Saturday, but didn't have time to work on it yesterday at all. So, while Caleb completes his seatwork this morning, I'm hand-quilting a little mini-quilt for one of you.

It's small, measuring only 10X13". I pulled some sweet vintage fabrics and drew a little happy scene with bird, and flowers, and butterfly. While the sentiment speaks of love, there's nary a heart in sight; so it can be displayed year round!

Let me know if you want in by leaving a comment here or on FB. Or you can email to:

Here we are nearly at the end of January. My plan to post once a week hasn't met with reality. I thought after the first of the year life would slow down enough that I could pop over here more. Hasn't happened.

We started Caleb on the ABeka 1st grade DVD curriculum a couple weeks ago and I'm happy to say that he is doing very well. Granted, he needs almost constant supervision, but that is pretty much to be expected with a boy his age. Long gone are my simple days of quiet little girls calmly doing their school work. Caleb would rather wiggle and move while he does his. That's ok. We deal with it. As long as he understands what is expected of him, he works with enthusiasm. I love that about him. He is learning to write in cursive, learning to read, doing math (read: yelling the answers at the TV screen to beat the other students), and singing the Bible songs with complete abandon. Ask him what his favorite class is and he'll tell you it's Bible. He's a kid after my own heart. I had the mistaken notion that the DVDs would free me up for other things. Instead, I'm spending more one-on-one with him than I have since he first came home. But it's great and I'm loving it.

Our school day is way longer than I like this way. Charlotte Mason would not approve. The girls work on all their independent work in the mornings and don't get time with me until after the lunch dishes are done. Some days we are still working on their phonics, spelling, or literature until nearly four o'clock.

Meanwhile, Lacy is in her last semester of homeschooling. Quite honestly, that seems impossible! She's the most diligent, self-motivated student I've ever taught. Why didn't I get a whole houseful of Lacys? I have to constantly remind her to not put too much pressure on herself. I don't set deadlines for her. She sets them for herself. The big news for her is that she's been accepted to Pensacola Christian College for the fall with a plan to study nursing. It's a long haul over there from here, but the quality of education she'll receive is going to make that sacrifice worth it in the long run. I have no idea how I will keep this household running with both Abby and Lacy gone. So I just won't think about it.

On the sewing front, I've taken a major step back from Cradle Moon projects. My goal there was to help Abby and Jonathan with their outgoing expenses. God brought in a huge amount of funding for them and my contribution was a rather small part of that total. At some point I'll get it cranked up again with the sales going toward another good cause....possibly a plane ticket to Lesotho.

I found and ordered the fabrics for Ellee's crib quilt. Jeremiah's are being a bit more elusive. Hannah and I are working on that. With the girls at 21 and 20 weeks pregnant, there is still time. Abby wants sweet, girly, and cottage-y for Ellee. Hannah wants a light, bright, simple nursery with a Noah's Ark theme for Jeremiah.

Ellee's crib quilt fabrics:

Hill Farm by Lecien

Hannah-20 weeks Abby-20 weeks

Now the recipe for the coffee cake you saw up there. This is from the newly revised Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that Abby left at our house. I wanted to bake a simple coffee cake for breakfast and this one looked exactly right. We inhaled it. Shamelessly.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2/3 cup butter (room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/3 cup buttermilk or sour milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the batter. Stir baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg into remaining crumb mixture. In another bowl combine buttermilk and egg; add to crumb mixture stirring just until moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture and chopped nuts. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Makes 12 or more servings.

{The following post was written by Lacy as we drove home from saying goodbye.}

As Abby, Jonathan, Kyle, {and little Ellee Renée} leave for Africa my heart is heavy and my eyes overflow with tears.
The thought of them moving halfway across the world saddens me
greatly. However, I take comfort in the One who is sending them:
Jesus Christ. It’s because of Jesus Christ that I can face
tomorrow. It’s because of Christ that I continue to live and have
motivation. It’s certainly not easy to see my sister and her
family leave, but God has done so much to prepare me, as well as my
family, for this.
Mexico was Abby and Jonathan’s first destination as
missionaries. I still remember saying good-bye to them the day they
left. My heart was torn in two as I watched them go. I wanted them
to stay here, yet at the same time I wanted to go with them. I also
remember my mom being worried about communication. I remember the
anxiety I felt as they left for a place that I was not very familiar
with. Even though it was only for nine months, it was still hard to
see them leave.You want to know the best part though? I remember
God hearing our prayers and comforting us during that time. God
allowed us to Skype with them on an almost daily basis. I can assure
you that the Internet connection wasn’t great, but it was better
than nothing! God healed our aching hearts and brought comfort
through Skype, a future trip to Mexico for my parents, and His peace.
Nine months later they felt called somewhere else.
So they packed up all their belongings and moved back to the US.
They found an apartment about 3 minutes away from us. Abby was
pregnant with Kyle during this time. Oh my! That was such a joy! I
loved watching Abby get bigger and bigger every day. I loved being
able to feel Kyle kick, and it was pure bliss when I was finally able
to hold that little bundle of love in my arms!!! I’ve loved
watching Kyle grow from a helpless babe to a toddling car-obsessed
little boy!As they leave for Africa, it seems like a part of me
is being ripped away. I’m excited for them, but at the same time I
wish they could just stay here. I LOVE my family and I love it when
the WHOLE family can get together under one roof and just laugh our
heads off! Sadly, that’s not going to happen again for a while.
Today was our last time together. We drove to the AIM headquarters in
Atlanta to have a farewell luncheon with all the missionaries that
are leaving today, tomorrow, and in the next few weeks. It was a
wonderful time of fellowship as we heard the newbie missionaries
express their goals/desires and prayer requests with us. Seeing all
of them with a heart for missions and personally knowing what they
are leaving behind encouraged my heart even more for missions.After the luncheon we went to Abby, Jonathan, and
Kyle’s hotel room. Everyone wished time could have just stopped
for a while, but sadly time kept moving and eventually we had to face
the dreadful good-bye.It was hard hugging my sister one last time before
she left. I probably would have clung to her much longer, but I knew
we had to leave and others were waiting for their last hug. I’ve
always looked up to Abby. In a way, she’s my best friend. Just
because she’s moving halfway across the world doesn’t mean our
friendship will end; in fact, it will keep blossoming and growing.
It’s because of Abby that I have the passion for missions that I do
now. Abby has been the perfect role model for me when it comes to my
faith. Seeing Abby grow into a mature married adult, a mother, and
now a full time missionary has had such an impact on my life. To see
her with only nine suitcases of their belongings tore at my heart,
but showed me how much they were sacrificing for Christ. I’m so
proud to be able to call her my sister.Next I said good-bye to Jonathan. It filled me with
joy to see Abby go with her God-given man! It was such a blessing to
see that Abby and Kyle were well cared for while they were here.
Every day Jonathan would wake up and go to work. Even though his job
wasn't mission-centered, he was a faithful worker and a wonderful
example for me as I wait for my future husband. Their faith has
amazed me. As they prayed for a specific amount of support money one
month, I watched God double that amount! What a blessing it has
been to be a part of their lives!Last, but certainly not least, I said good-bye to my
little Bambino Kyle (and Ellee). Words can’t describe the
feelings I had when I hugged Kyle one last time. How much fun it has
been to watch him grow from an infant to a toddling babe. Hearing
him say “Bye-bye” felt like a needle piercing my heart. I will
miss my sweet Kyle's voice, I’ll miss his baby chatter, and I’ll
miss watching him grow up. And to think that my little Ellee Renée
may be someone I never personally know saddens me.
In Christ, however, there’s always comfort and
peace. I may miss them terribly but God has told them to go, and
they have followed faithfully--to the point of sacrificing basically
everything they have, leaving behind family, and leaving the comforts
of the US. To dull the pain, Christ has given us another little
blessing through my brother Bradley and his wife, Hannah. They are
expecting a baby the same time as Abby which gives me something to
look forward to right now. I’ll miss not holding Ellee Renée when
she is born, but having little Jeremiah around will be wonderful! We
serve such an amazing God who will not give us more than we can bear!
Even in the midst of trials, He gives us blessings.
Abby and Jonathan are truly living life with a higher purpose. I pray if and when God calls me to that kind of life
that I will be able to sacrifice everything I have and follow Him!“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”~Matthew 27:19-20“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”~Acts 1:8

I live in a beautiful, small, but not too small, town in South Carolina. I love homemaking and all things domestic...roses on the table, dinner by candlelight, the scent of something in the oven, the hum of the sewing machine, a playful puppy, tea with a friend, kisses from my sweet honey, hugs from three boys, the giggles of four lovely girls, and baby smiles from my three precious grandkids. I love creating with food and with fabric, making our home a haven for those I love. This blog is where I share some of my creations with you and hopefully inspire you to amp up your creative energy!